Citation

Open  data in science brings important benefits, most notably the potential  to accelerate scientific discovery, and the ability for the community to  verify research findings. In addition to exploring these benefits, this  paper considers concerns that some researchers may have about the  approach. Publishing strategies, copyright and database right  considerations, confidentiality, preparation of data for publication,  and the citation of datasets are also discussed, as is the importance of  journal policy. The second section of the paper presents Psi Open Data (https://open-data.spr.ac.uk),  an open repository for parapsychology and psychical research data  recently launched by the Society for Psychical Research. The repository  is constructed using DKAN, an open source open data platform with a full  suite of cataloging, publishing, and visualization features. It allows  administrator users to upload research datasets, and any visitor to  search for and download datasets. Various aspects of the repository are  described: data structures, metadata, data classification, preview, and  download facilities. Researchers are encouraged to support the  repository by contributing datasets from both current and previous work.